Target Tentacles - A Karmagisa Assassination

Chapter 9

Sunday, October 11th

After the adrenaline leaves Nagisa's body the world becomes dull and muddled. He is vaguely aware of the special ops doing damage control and taking Takimi into custody. He has a singular moment of clarity as he sees heavy metal bands snap around Takimi's wrists. He can recall in perfect detail the look of defeat and resignation on the man's face. He looks tired. He looks small.

Karasuma is there soon after. He seeks out Karma and Nagisa and puts a hand on each of their shoulders in an uncharacteristic gesture of familiarity and care. He tells them they did well, and that now they should rest. They are dismissed after that.

They retreat to Karma's expensive crimson car and drive home in silence. By unspoken agreement they head for Karma's house, neither of them wanting to go back to empty homes. Nagisa stares out the window at the pitch black sky, watching as lamp and car lights flash by. It bothers him that he can't see the stars.

After that things are a blur. Someway or another he ends up in comfortable clothes in a warm bed, and that's all that matters.

That night he drifts in and out of dreams. Dreams of Karma and dates and dresses and mothers. Dreams of training and weapons and blood and assassinations.

But mostly he dreams about the look of weary defeat on Takimi's face.

____________________

The first thing Nagisa notices is the sunlight streaming in through the cracks in the blinds. He gradually adjusts to the light, slowly opening his eyes until he's staring at a clean white ceiling painted with stripes of golden sun. The room is actually pretty dark for how bright and lively the outside world is. Chirping birds and the rustle of wind flows in from the windows, providing a quiet atmosphere in the room. Nagisa just lays there for a moment, appreciating how warm and comfortable he is buried among the sheets and pillows.

Then panic shoots through him as his sleepy brain realizes that this isn't his room. He sits up, taking in the clean, stylish bedroom. After a moment he remembers that he's at Karma's house. He relaxes and sinks back into the pillows. No wonder the bed is so comfortable; Karma has plenty of money to waste on feather soft sheets and warm comforters and... and welcoming pillows, and –did he mention the pillows already?– and...

Then he remembers class and he shoots up again, fully awake. Before he can catch up with himself his mind is off. What time is it? How far is it to the school building? Did he finish grading everyone's assignments?

Then he remembers that there is no school on Sunday, and he sighs in relief (and a little bit of embarrassment too).

Since he's awake he might as well get up, so he stretches his limbs and reluctantly gets out of bed. He looks around for his clothes and sees his dress neatly folded on top of the bureau. Karma must have given him a t-shirt and sweatpants to wear. The shirt is extremely long on him, which is honestly kind of insulting, but it's comfortable and he doesn't have anything else to wear so he figures he'll just wear this for now.

He leaves his room cautiously, some of his senses still on unusually high alert after last night. He finds himself in a hallway, and follows the distant sound of light humming down the stairs and through the living room.

(I wrote this next part a while ago put couldn't find a place to put it. I know it doesn't fit too well, but it should give you a general idea, so buckle up for an entire paragraph of pure description)

Karma lives in one of the nicer parts of town, in a stylish comfortable house. The first floor consists of a large, open living room that's connected to the kitchen. Off of the kitchen is a dining room that Karma hardly ever uses, which in turn connects to the front hall and, through it, the living room once more. A large staircase greets guests coming in the front door, leading to the second floor where the master bedroom, guest bedroom, and Karma's study are located. And hidden unassumingly at the back of the staircase is a closed door that leads to the basement, one of Karma's favorite but rarely used rooms. At first glance the basement looks like an odd assortment of mismatched items and an open space for exercise, but this is where Karma keeps his weapons, his equipment, and, most importantly, his prized spice collection. And lastly, in a small hallway at the back of the kitchen are two doors, one leading to a bathroom and the other to the garage where the appropriately named Karma Revero is waiting to be driven.

Nagisa finds Karma in the kitchen. He's standing with his back to the kitchen entrance, tending to a frying pan. He's dressed casually in a black long sleeve shirt and long black pants. Light streams in from the window in front of the sink, crowning him in a beautiful red halo. He stops humming as Nagisa says, "Good morning."

Karma seems startled for a moment (apparently not having hear Nagisa come in) before turning around and smiling easily. "Nagi, you're awake. Perfect timing, breakfast is just about ready."

"I didn't know you cooked." Nagisa takes a seat at one of the barstools on the kitchen island.

Karma hums in agreement. "My parents were away a lot when I was younger so I picked it up. Probably where my love of spices comes from."

Nagisa watches as Karma stoops to take out a tray of bacon from the oven. He swiftly plates two servings of scrambled eggs and bacon and puts one in front of Nagisa. It looks delicious and Nagisa's mouth begins to water, but he can't help but be suspicious of the many ingredients that seem to be layered into the scrambled eggs. "There's no spice in here, is there?"

Karma grins. "Nothing deadly. Just chives, cheese, sausage bits, some basic spices, and some peppers." He catches Nagisa's raised eyebrows and adds, "Bell peppers, not ghost peppers or anything. I'm not that cruel, geez."

Nagisa laughs. "Honestly I'm just surprised I didn't wake up to marker on my face or something."

"Hey, I know I'm a prankster but I have matured at least a little since middle school."

Nagisa actually considers this. It's true he doesn't know this Karma as well as he knew the old one from Class 3-E. Karma could have changed quite a lot and he would have no idea. He wonders if he'll get a chance to know this new Karma, or whether they'll drift apart again. He really hopes it's the former; he'd really like to reconnect with his old best friend.

Then Karma ruins the moment by adding, "Anyway, my technique has way more class than that. And I won't pretend I didn't take enough pictures of you in that dress to last a lifetime of blackmail."

Nagisa sighs in defeat and avoids answering by taking a bite of scrambled eggs. An explosion of mellow flavors meets his tongue, and he closes his eyes in contentment. The food is delicious. "This is really good. Much better than what I usually eat," he says once he's swallowed.

"I'm glad you like it." Karma blows on his own bite. "I may not be as naturally skilled in assassination as you are, but I know my way around a kitchen."

Nagisa nods in agreement, taking another bite of egg. "I'm going to be spoiled for school lunches after this."

Karma grins. "This? This is just a casual breakfast. Come over again sometime and I'll make you a proper feast."

Nagisa nods agreeably but the words Come over again repeat in Nagisa's ears. Does that mean that this isn't a one time thing? That their relationship this time will extend beyond the most recent assassination? The corner of his mouth curves upwards and he stares down at his plate, unaware that Karma is watching him closely.

Come over again.

He likes the sound of that.

Once upon a time there was a writer who promised that she would edit her chapter, which she did indeed plan to do, but then she actually looked at her chapter the next day and... honestly I'm just embarrassed. Like, I know that I was really tired and just trying to get something down but wow. 

So yeah, I haven't made much headway in editing. I did manage to write the next chapter though, so be proud of me for that :)

Hopefully this Karmagisa fluff will redeem me, and I'll work more on editing Chapter 8 this week.

Remember to drink water and go to bed early,

–Laika